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Cool Valentine’s Day activities for everybody

I LOOKED at my calendar and realised that Valentine’s Day was in a few days’ time. I haven’t bought my boyfriend anything. I haven’t thought about it at all.

Honestly, I dread this day when I am in a relationship (when I am single, it is just another worry-free day). Couples might feel pressured to conform to the standards set by society and are at risk of disappointing their partners because on this day, expectations run high.

But there are still some who look at this day as an opportunity to sweep their loved ones off their feet. God bless them.

My boyfriend and I are worlds apart when it comes to romance. He is certain that I am missing a romantic bone while he is the climb-the-highest-mountains-and-swim-the-deepest-oceans kind of guy.

It doesn’t mean that we, the practical-minded, are not appreciative of love. Our way of showing love and care is different, that’s all.

Here is my list of a variety of things you can do if you want to (the creative, the practical, the sweet, and the cool on this occasion; whether you have a partner, are single or are in one of those complicated label-less relationships.

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For Couples

Get a nice memory stick and make a playlist of songs that remind you of your partner (if you have time, you can include some lyrics in there, too). I call this the modern-day mix-tape.

Cook your partner’s favourite dish. For those who can’t cook, go out and buy something they like.

Personally write a love letter (with paper and pen!). For those experiencing writer’s block when it comes to being romantic, look for tips on the internet such as this http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Love-Letter

Re-enact your first meeting. Make it as accurate as possible; the venue, the clothes, the people.

My boyfriend and I re-enacted our first date’s photo 6 months later.

Exchange promise rings (it would be nice to write little vows for each other, ranging from funny ones “I promise you that I will not keep eating food from your plate” to the more serious ones “I promise to make you feel more secure with me”)

Have a group activity with other couples (try Pictionary, Charades or Taboo and add on the entertainment value by observing how other couples’ deal with each other). Or instead of coupling up during group activity, have a guys-versus-girls game night. Have some fun being competitive with each other and being a sport.

Wash each other’s hair and give each other a facial (the ladies will have to swear never to breathe a word of this, though)

Dress up with your partner and do a DIY photo-shoot with your camera-phone and edit them with photo-editing apps, and then instagram them to death.

Dress in matching outfits the entire day.

We are wearing matching Metallica t-shirts!

Reminisce about stuff you did together in the past.

Try not to fight for a day.

Change your Facebook profile picture to a photo of the both of you.

Get drawing paper, a variety of stationary and start doodling on it. When it’s done, get it framed and use it as an art-piece and a reminder of two people united as one.

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For Singles

You don’t need a partner, send love to everyone else!

Pick out a few people who actually mean a lot to you (unromantically) and celebrate love anyway and do something nice for them.

Level-up your online dating profile; take a better picture and write something intelligent about yourself. (While you are on your dating site, delete messages from the creeps and weirdos.)

List down all your exes and why you are better off without them (if you can go a little further, turn that scribbling into a best-selling autobiography).

Send a Valentine’s Day greeting to all the exes that you have already gotten over, just to screw with their heads.

Forget about people and do something nice for your pet (give Furball a bath, a snuggle, a nice meal, some playtime, etc.).

Single ladies: watch all the chick-flicks you want, especially the ones that empower women (here are my recommendations: Erin Brokovich, Legally Blonde, The Help, etc.

Single dudes: go crazy with sports, action flicks, superhero shows or car shows (whatever is it that you have to abstain from when you have a girlfriend clinging onto you).

Google “why being single is awesome”.

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For The Complicated or Friend-zoned

Forget about your love interest for a night and go out with your single friends.

Finally pluck up the courage to ask your love interest out on a date. If rejected, go out with your single friends.

Profess your love to your object of affection in an email, but don’t send it. Go out with your single friends anyway.

Finally set things straight with your crush and have the relationship-defining talk. If it goes well, then it will a nice date for your anniversary, and if not then you will actually have a good reason to hate Valentine’s Day, which is better than those who hate it just because they are single. Then go out with those friends.

If you have been juggling a few crushes simultaneously, be a romantic and make Valentine’s Day the day you pick just ONE.

Organise a group outing and invite your crush (the ambivalence of it all will be thrilling, “It’s a group thing, yet it’s Valentine’s Day, what does this all mean?”)

Know that you are not alone and search for songs that you can relate to; then post parts of lyrics on your Facebook status to elicit reactions from people (and hopefully your crush) – passive-aggressive vague-booking, I call it.

Listening to songs, feeling the words and sharing it with the world.

Or do the same on your Facebook, but this time, do it with positive quotes (it may annoy many friends but at least it is possible your crush will perceive you as deep and wise).

Watch a sick, psycho horror flick that will sufficiently creep you out enough to eliminate romance completely from your mind for an hour or two.

Send your love interest a completely unique and thoughtful gift that will hopefully get you out of the friend zone.

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I hope this list will help through this celebration of love, and for those who are all for it, HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, and for those who aren’t, have a nice day anyway! 🙂

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